September 2005 was an unseasonably warm and dry month across the state of Pennsylvania. The unseasonably dry weather began for most in mid August and was mainly an agricultural concern. Nevertheless, several municipalities had to either request or mandate water conservation. In Sellersville (Bucks County), a drought warning was declared. Water use restrictions included the banning of watering lawns, gardens, trees and shrubs other than with a bucket. The borough prohibited the non-essential use of water. In East Stroudsburg (Monroe County), a drought watch was issued and the borough asked for a five percent reduction in water usage. Requests for voluntary reductions in consumption were made by Mount Pocono (Monroe County), Nazareth (Northampton County), Coatesville (Chester County) and Media (Delaware County).     Because of the higher cost for fuel, irrigation costs increased. The heat damaged the leaves of temperature sensitive plants such as lettuce, parsley and cilantro. The lack of rain reduced the size of lettuce, cabbage, leeks and arugula. The sun helped cause blistering of tomatoes, peppers, squash and beans. Some tree leaves were showing signs of scorching, especially along their edges. Dogwoods and maples showed signs of water stress. Milk production was down because of the affect the heat had on the cows. Dating back to 1895, it was the ninth warmest and fourteenth driest September on record for the state of Pennsylvania. Across eastern Pennsylvania, monthly county precipitation averages ranged from 0.6 inches in Philadelphia County to 1.6 inches in Chester County. Normal is about 4.0 inches. The September average monthly temperature of 73.8 degrees at the Philadelphia International Airport was the fourth warmest September on record and the 0.21 inches of precipitation was the second driest September on record. At the Lehigh Valley International Airport, the monthly mean temperature of 68.7 degrees was the fourth warmest September on record and the 0.76 inches of precipitation was the third driest September on record. In Reading (Berks County), the monthly average temperature of 70.5 degrees was 5.1 degrees warmer than normal and the monthly precipitation total of 0.56 inches was 3.80 inches drier than normal. In Mount Pocono (Monroe County), the monthly average temperature of 62.4 degrees was 5.0 degrees warmer than normal and the monthly precipitation total of 2.28 inches was 2.70 inches drier than normal.

Drought in CARBON, PENNSYLVANIA
From 01-SEP-05 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-05 23:59:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Drought in NORTHAMPTON, PENNSYLVANIA
From 01-SEP-05 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-05 23:59:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Drought in PHILADELPHIA, PENNSYLVANIA
From 01-SEP-05 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-05 23:59:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Drought in CHESTER, PENNSYLVANIA
From 01-SEP-05 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-05 23:59:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Drought in DELAWARE, PENNSYLVANIA
From 01-SEP-05 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-05 23:59:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Drought in LEHIGH, PENNSYLVANIA
From 01-SEP-05 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-05 23:59:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Drought in MONROE, PENNSYLVANIA
From 01-SEP-05 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-05 23:59:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Drought in MONTGOMERY, PENNSYLVANIA
From 01-SEP-05 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-05 23:59:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Drought in BERKS, PENNSYLVANIA
From 01-SEP-05 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-05 23:59:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC

Drought in BUCKS, PENNSYLVANIA
From 01-SEP-05 00:00:00 to 30-SEP-05 23:59:00 (EST)
Reported by: AWOS,ASOS,MESONET,ETC